Dreams Suck
by Murayama Tsuru
Summary: The night before Nico and Jason have their encounter with Cupid in Croatia, Nico has a dream...that he doesn't particularly want to have. It makes him remember that, for demigods at least, dreams really do suck and the rest of the day is probably not going to go well. Contains mild, one-sided Nico x Percy and some spoilers for HoH. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again or for the first time, Murayama Tsuru here. Here is a story that has nothing to with Anime or Japanese games ^_^ I recently finished the House of Hades and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. That one chapter in HoH, man, it totally rocked my world! Yeah, that's about all the introduction I want to give it at the moment. I hope you guys enjoy ^_^**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/the Heroes of Olympus (sometimes I really just can't think of this series as not being called Percy Jackson…); it belongs to Rick Riordan.**_

Nico di Angelo grumbled almost silently as he made his way up the rigging to the crow's nest, more than a slight frown adorning his features. The place had become his makeshift bed on this ship and he was being forced, by Hazel, to go sleep in it. He really didn't see why he had to get any rest when talking to ghosts all night to find out any dangers that awaited their crew was a much better use of his time than sleep. Sleep only caused problems in the long run, Nico had found.

But, Hazel had insisted that he get some rest after commenting about how pale he looked, and that look in her eyes reminded him so much of his real sister, and he found he couldn't say no. But, just because he was climbing up to his room didn't mean that he was going to attempt to get any sleep.

He didn't need sleep and he most definitely didn't want any. Sleep meant dreams and dreams meant seeing things that were either unpleasant visions of things to come or unpleasant reminders of things past, people lost, and feelings long buried.

Unfortunately, though, those long buried feelings had been making an ugly reappearance lately, making him even more of a recluse than he already was. He'd gone to Tartarus to find out how to close the Doors, almost went insane, got captured by the enemies, put in a poison jar, and was saved by the one person he didn't want to be saved by, and now that person was gone as well, to the very place he had been not that long ago. It brought out those feelings that had been buried since his sister's death; those feelings that he'd hoped would never resurface, those feelings he didn't want resurfacing…not in the least. The dead really were easier to deal with than the living…

Nico shook his head, trying to dispel his circulating thoughts and resolved that he would not sleep (despite Hazel's wishes) and therefore would not dream. And, without dreams, no problems could arise from what they brought and the things that he wanted to keep as buried as the dead he could call forth.

But, as soon as he got to the crow's nest and he was settled, watching the stars pass by and feeling the Argo II rock not so gently, his eyelids drooped heavily, making his frown deepen. But, no matter how hard he cursed or tried to fight the sleep that was coming, his eyelids drooped more and he felt sleep begin to overtake him. So, Nico gave up and, mostly, against his will let the salty smell of the ocean and the soft breeze and the rocking of the ship lull him into deep sleep. And almost immediately, Nico was snoring away softly.

* * *

_The dream started as his dreams usually did; he opened his eyes and he was standing in Camp Half-Blood near the cabin that had been built for his dad, Hades. He looked around, wondering who he would meet in this particular dream and if he would have any control over what he did (more often than not, he didn't)._

_And then he saw her and his heart leapt in happiness which was soon thereafter followed by the pang of sadness and pain that always accompanied seeing his sister Bianca. She smiled at him and, despite his want to run towards her, tears streaming down his face, asking her why she wouldn't talk to him as a ghost but only in his dreams, he smiled back and she began walking toward him (this was definitely one of the dreams he had no control over)._

_Once the two were close enough, she handed him a small figurine that had an uncanny resemblance to his father. Nico looked at his sister with questions in his eyes and she smiled again, "This is for you. I got it a while ago at a junkyard but with all that happened I couldn't give it to you until now."_

_Nico opened his mouth to say that he no longer played Mythomagic and the only thing he really wanted from her was that she come back to him (as much as he thought of Hazel as a sister, the girl just couldn't replace Bianca completely). But, as his uncontrollable dreams usually went, he muttered a quiet thank you and averted his eyes from her gaze for some reason (embarrassed happiness was just not something he wanted to admit to)._

_The two then stood in awkward silence until, somehow, Nico found his voice (meaning that he could hopefully control where this dream was going) and asked, "Where have you been all this time? I thought you were…dead…"_

_Bianca laughed, bringing back oh so many memories and making the pain of losing her wash over him afresh. She then said, "What are you talking about? I became one of the Hunters of Artemis and I came back after we fought Atlas. I know it's you've had a hard time without me, being a son of Hades and all, but what would make you think I died?"_

_Nico opened his mouth to tell his sister what really happened four years ago, ready to make this dream fall to pieces so he could wake up and make sure that this dream wouldn't go in the direction it was probably going to go._

_But then, Bianca looked away and the dream's scenario (this was never going to be something he'd admit to wanting to happen in real life after all) took over again as she said, "Hey look, there's Annabeth and Luke."_

'_Well that's new', Nico thought absentmindedly as he turned towards where Bianca was looking and saw Annabeth and Luke (who I'm pretty sure Nico's never met, but it's been a while so correct if I'm wrong ^-^) holding hands as they walked past looking positively happy. Nico was a little surprised by this as Annabeth never factored into his dreams at all usually, unless they were true nightmares._

_But before Nico could comment on this, Bianca turned back around and said, "Isn't it a good thing that we found a way to separate Luke from Kronos? If we hadn't, who knows how the battle would have ended…"_

'_I do,' Nico thought harshly, wanting more than ever to wake up. Again, though, as he was about to speak, Bianca interrupted him as she continued speaking, "Somehow, though, I've heard rumors that Annabeth liked Percy. I guess old crushes really do mean more than new ones."_

'_Damn,' Nico thought, 'this isn't what I need to be wasting my time on right now. Next thing I know he'll show up and…why can't I wake up already…? There must be something that I need to do in the waking world by now… '_

_And sure enough, just as Nico thought that Bianca turned again and waved calling out, "Hey, Percy! What are you doing here?"_

_Percy responded by saying, "I saw you guys and came to say 'hi'. Is this a bad time?" Hearing Percy's voice made Nico shake; he honestly never thought he'd hear that voice again, even in his dreams. He had decided to descend into Tartarus with_ Annabeth_ after all and Nico really didn't think that he would make it out alive…despite the promise he made to lead the other five to the Doors and rescue the both of them._

_Bianca, sensing something (Nico didn't want to entertain what), smiled at the two of them and waved to Percy, "Well, I was just about to leave. So, you'll have to talk to Nico in my stead."_

_As she walked passed Nico, she whispered almost silently, "Have fun little brother, I wouldn't dream of interrupting."_

_Nico felt his face flush as his sister continued walking away after giving him one last wink. This dream was turning into a nightmare of a completely different kind now…and he had his sister to thank for getting him into this (again, not something he would admit he wanted to happen in real life). What did she mean when she said 'have fun'? Nothing was going to happen, dammit!_

_Nico realized that he'd been silent (not anything new) for too long when he heard Percy clear his throat. As he turned to face Percy, Nico felt like he was ten years old again, in awe of the boy who was a few years older than him, protecting him and his sister from that monster looking as much a hero as the Mythomagic characters he liked so much._

_Percy grinned at him, that lopsided smile that Nico thought was only reserved for Annabeth or his other _real_ friends and Nico felt a pang of something… He looked at Percy and, his voice his own to control this time asked, "What do you want Percy?"_

_Percy's smile widened, as if the insult hadn't registered (and it probably hadn't; seaweed brain was an apt nickname after all) and said, "As I said, I just came to say 'hi'. Is there anything wrong with that?"_

"_No." Nico said curtly, turning to walk away from this situation, too much longer and he didn't think he would be able to stand it. He wanted to bury these feelings, not stir them up._

_But, Percy's next words stopped him in his tracks, "Well, you never answered my question."_

_Nico whirled around to ask what question Percy was talking about when he froze. He didn't know how it happened (damn dreams), but Percy was now only a few inches from Nico, giving the son of Hades a very in-depth view of those sea green eyes, those very distracting sea green eyes...Seaweed brain was an apt nickname for more than one reason after all; Nico almost felt as if his own brain was turning into a clump of the stuff, with Percy as close as he was..._

"_W-what question are you talking about? You never asked me anything…" Nico finally managed to say, averting his gaze to somewhere on the ground, the close proximity wasn't doing anything good for his nerves._

_Percy responded, "To what I asked you the other day."_

_Before Nico could even think of any sort of response, Percy's lips were on his and Nico felt his brain essentially short-circuit, the taste of the sea strong on Percy's lips felt much too real. With absolute surprise (not necessarily dislike, though), Nico pushed Percy away, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, his voice sounding panicky and reedy to his own ears._

_With a slight frown, Percy said, "When we defeated Kronos, I thought you made your feelings very clear to me. But when I asked again the other day, you didn't give me an answer. So, I got impatient and came to find you. So, do you like me or not?"_

_Nico wanted nothing more than to run away from this scene, to wake up, to do anything other than what was happening at the moment. But before he could do anything of that affect, the dream took control once again and Nico heard himself saying, "I just…I don't…I…I have nothing to say…I thought you liked Annabeth…"_

"_I think we've made it perfectly clear," Percy said stepping closer once again, those eyes boring deep into Nico's soul, "that I do not." And once again, anything Nico could possibly think to say was interrupted by a pair of lips that tasted of the sea._

* * *

Nico's eyes flew open, and he looked around wildly feeling breathless and shaky and altogether too hot despite the cool morning air. His lips tingled from a kiss that had not happened and he felt shame course through him as the dream played through his mind, his hand coming up to cover his eyes; the fact that he had slept through the night was not any sort of comfort to him.

Nico sighed, annoyed that he had fallen to sleep and dreamt of the two people he couldn't see, annoyed that he had taken Hazel's advice and went to sleep in the first place, and annoyed in general at his lot in life. It was bad enough that his reputation of being a son of Hades made him basically a pariah in both camps. But, on top of that he'd had these (almost) unwanted feelings he had for the son of Poseidon for almost four years now and it made him feel even worse about that he liked the guy who hadn't been able to protect his sister. The guy who had a girlfriend. The guy who probably didn't think of him as much more than an annoyance who betrayed him and made his life harder.

Sure, it was a different era and maybe it wasn't unacceptable to have these feelings, but Nico wasn't from this era and so what he felt, felt wrong. And the only way he knew to deal with this was to avoid the cause, namely Percy. And avoidance is what he planned on doing; once his hero (sort of) and his girlfriend had returned from Tartarus, and he would make sure they did, Nico vowed that he would leave the Argo II by any means necessary.

The only consolation was that no one knew he had a crush on Percy, they thought it was on Annabeth and that was something Nico could live with. Nico stood and made his way down from the crow's nest, something telling him that today was not going to be a good day.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something fall out of the clouds. Nico turned and saw a flash of blond and wondered how Jason had fallen asleep mid-air, it had been his turn to defend the ship after all. Today was really not starting well.

Luckily for him, Hazel was also on duty this morning. He found her (looking as green as ever from the rocking of the ship) and said quietly, "Our resident Golden Boy is falling out of the sky. I think it would be best if we woke everyone else to help him."

Hazel looked to where Nico pointed and her eyes widened in alarm. In a flash, she was gone into the ship, leaving Nico to his thoughts. Yep, today definitely didn't seem like it was going to go well…

**And that is the end of that. I'm really not sure how well it turned out. For one thing I think Nico was probably out of character (Bianca too for that matter), but the books don't give a lot in the way of Nico's perspective so I had to improvise. And, for another, I kinda zoned out half way through (it really goes to show that I should act on an idea the second I get it, not two days later…) And, Percy it probably out of character in the dream (and it was too long) as well, but it is a dream and anything can happen in those… On another note, Nico makes so much more sense to me now! I had always thought that the reason that Nico left Camp Half-Blood was because of Percy. And now, I've found out that it is but for a different reason than I expected (though not totally surprising as I read the chapter). And, I really liked how Rick Riordan did this, so I applaud him. Yeah, that's it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as I love to know what you guys think.**

**-****村山鶴**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, Murayama Tsuru here. Originally, I wasn't going to write another chapter for this story. But, Nico still wouldn't leave me alone. So, I typed up the chapters set in Croatia, hoping that that would be enough. It wasn't. So, I read it and reread it and reread it again. And then I edited it a lot, which took a few days. While the dialogue has not been altered, I tried to change almost everything else to fit how I perceive Nico experienced these chapters, though there were a couple of spots that I felt I couldn't change without losing something important. I hope you guys enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/the Heroes of Olympus; it belongs to Rick Riordan. Neither, can I say, do I own any of the dialogue; it also belongs to Rick Riordan (putting this in as well, just to cover my ass).**_

After Jason had been saved from certain doom, it had been decided that Nico and Jason would go to Diocletian's Palace to leave Reyna a note about how the Argo II was going to get to Epirus and search for Diocletian's scepter, something that would useful later in their quest.

When they arrived, Nico was too busy observing how much Croatia had changed since the 1930s that he failed to notice the angel at the ice cream cart. He and Jason were wandering along the walkway when Jason spotted the guy and nudged Nico, "Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah," Nico agreed, he was seeing it now for sure, "maybe we should buy some ice cream."

As they walked over to the ice cream cart, Nico wondered whether the angel was a spirit that had returned from death, which might make him extremely dangerous if they (Jason) made him angry. But, after checking, Nico murmured aloud, "He's not a returned spirit or a creature from the Underworld."

"No," Jason agreed, "I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice cream bars."

Nico felt inclined to agree, and he wondered aloud, "So what is he?" As they got closer, the angel looked directly at them. He smiled and gestured at them, ice cream bar in hand and then dissolved into thin air.

Nico could no longer see the angel and, because it was not a creature of the Underworld, could not track him. But, Jason seemed to be able to as he gestured saying, "I'm betting that's the place, come on." The building the angel was leading them to was Diocletian's Palace.

Nico looked at the palace and memories from long ago, and not so long ago flooded his mind. Nico then noticed that the angel was flying in and out of the high up windows, disappearing on the other side of the façade. "We've got to catch him," Jason said, scanning the palace for an entrance, "Hold on."

Nico, not knowing how they were going to get into Diocletian's palace without going through the main entrance, started, "But—" before he could finish that sentence, though, Jason grabbed Nico and they were both in the air. Nico, surprised and annoyed at the sudden change in direction, made a sound of clear complaint, but Jason either didn't hear it or ignored it and they soared over the outer walls.

Even though they had just flown into the palace, no one (save for a very confused looking kid) seemed to notice their entrance. Nico began looking around and saw a white marble building with rows of tall windows, "The peristyle," Nico commented, "this was the entrance to Diocletian's private residence."

Nico then turned and scowled at Jason, still annoyed at having been flown in, "And please, I don't like being touched. Don't ever grab me again." The unsaid threat of bodily harm hung in the air between them. Nico really did not like his personal space invaded, especially by a son of Jupiter.

Nico saw Jason tense and wondered if he was about to cause a fight with his sort of teammate. But, Jason only said, "Uh, ok. Sorry. How do you know this place?"

Nico examined the atrium and his gaze fell on stairs in the far corner, leading deeper into the Palace, "I've been here before," Nico said distractedly memories dancing thought his mind, "With my mother and Bianca. A weekend trip from Venice. I was maybe…six?"

"That was when…the 1930s?" Jason asked

"Thirty-eight or so.," Nico said absently, "Why do you even care?" Nico wished Bianca was here instead of Jason, "Do you see that winged guy anywhere?"

"No…" Jason trailed off, thinking about something.

Just as Nico started looking for the angel again, Jason asked suddenly, "I just…I can't imagine how weird that must be, coming from another time."

"No you can't." he responded sourly, if that was why Jason had asked about what year it was then Nico felt pretty pissed, he did _not _want Jason's pity.

But then, Nico realized that there might not have been any malice in Jason's words. In fact, there was someone who was in a much worse position than he was (a position that Nico himself had inflicted). He took a deep breath letting his annoyance subside and, after a moment continued speaking, "Look…I don't like talking about it. Honestly, I think Hazel has it worse. She had to come back from the dead and adjust to the modern world. Me…me and Bianca, we were stuck at the lotus hotel. Time passed so quickly. In a weird way, that made the transition easier."

"Percy told me all about that place," Jason said, making Nico's heart thump painfully, "seventy years, but it only felt like a month?"

Nico clenched his fist hard, feeling indignant that Percy would have even talked about him, to Jason of all people, in the first place, "Yeah. I'm sure Percy told you all about me." About how he's only helping me because he feels he owes me for letting my sister die, the thought surfaced unbidden in Nico's head.

Deciding not to dwell on the past anymore (he'd been doing that way too much recently), Nico began to observe the ghostly activity of the palace. His eyes swept the windows overhead and he sensed the spirits, watching everything, seething with a deep and powerful rage that stemmed from a long felt grudge. Aloud, Nico said, "Roman dead are everywhere here…Lares. Lemures. They're watching. They're angry."

"At us?" Jason said with alarm, his had going to his sword.

Nico shook his head, "At everything." He pointed to a stone building on the western side of the courtyard, "That used to be a temple to Jupiter. The Christians changed it to a baptistery. The Roman ghosts don't like that."

As Jason looked at the temple-turned-baptistery, Nico continued his tour, "And over there…" he pointed east to a hexagonal building ringed by freestanding columns, "that was the mausoleum of the emperor."

"But his tomb isn't there anymore." Jason said with a sigh

"Not for centuries," Nico agreed, "when the empire collapsed, the building was turned into a Christian cathedral."

Jason swallowed hard, "So if Diocletian's ghost is still around here—"

"He's probably not happy." Nico finished the sentence.

Suddenly, there was something that made Jason turn and look at something on the ground; Nico looked too and saw one copper-colored feather. "That way. The winged guy." Jason said, pointing to the stairs Nico had been eyeing earlier, "Where do you think those stairs lead?"

Nico drew his sword, a smile settling on his lips, glad to finally have something other than the past on his mind, "Underground. My favorite place."

As they wandered deeper into the palace, Nico could tell that this was not Jason's favorite place. One indication was the fact that the son of Jupiter kept flinching at everything that they passed that made even the tiniest of movements. If Nico had been the type to, he might have commented, but instead he kept his feelings to himself, hidden behind the smallest of sadistic smiles.

After almost running into a bust of Diocletian, Jason decided that this would be a good place to leave his note for Reyna. He wrote something on a small piece of paper and slipped it underneath the bust. Just as Jason was about to turn away from the pedestal, Nico saw the angel appear behind Jason. But, before he could give any sort of warning, the angel greeted, "Hello!"

Clearly startled, Jason sliced off Diocletian's bust's head, not realizing it wasn't the bust who had been speaking. With a frown, the angel said, "That wasn't very nice."

Jason turned then and saw the winged guy as well. Before any sort of sound could leave Jason's mouth, the angel said, "I mean, what did Diocletian ever do to you?"

The air shifted then, and a small tornado formed, picking up the broken pieces of the bust. "Uh," Jason said eloquently once the bust had been fixed by the wind, "It was an accident. You startled me."

The winged man chuckled, "Jason Grace, the West Wind has been called many things…warm, gentle, life-giving and devilishly handsome. But I have never been called _startling_. I leave that crass behavior to my gusty brethren in the north."

Nico faltered, realizing that if the angel was the West Wind, it meant they would have to deal with…Nico wanted to dispel that thought, but he couldn't and he found himself asking, "The West Wind? You mean you're—"

"Favonius," Jason said the god's Roman name, "god of the West Wind."

Favonius made a theatrical bow, delighted at being recognized, "You can call me by my Roman name, certainly, or Zephyros, if you're Greek. I'm not hung up about it."

Nico felt his heart sink and his stomach roil, it seemed that they would have to deal with _him_ after all, "Why aren't your Greek and Roman sides in conflict, like the other gods?" Nico asked; if this god's two sides were, in fact, conflicting, maybe getting the scepter wouldn't be as hard as Nico was beginning to imagine it to be.

"Oh, I have the occasional headache." Favonius shrugged, making Nico curse silently, "Some mornings I'll wake up in a Greek _chiton_ when I'm sure I went to sleep in my SPQR pajamas. But mostly the war doesn't bother me. I'm a minor god you know, never really been much in the limelight. The to-and-fro battles of you demigods don't affect me as greatly."

"So…" Jason started, but Nico had stopped listening. If Zephryos was here it meant that they would have to deal with that god as well. That dream he'd had this morning fell into perspective and Nico felt as if he was going to be sick. He wanted very badly to leave, but if _that_ god had the scepter…

Nico tuned back into the conversation just in time for Zephryos to say, "what you're looking for isn't here. My master has taken it." Nico curse again.

"Your master?" Jason asked, "Please tell me your master isn't Aeolus." Nico knew the answer was not Aeolus and that made his stomach churn even more.

"_That_ airhead?" Zephryos snorted, "No, of course not."

"He means Eros." His voice sounded tense to his own ears and he had the feeling that he really shouldn't have eaten that grape earlier, "Cupid in Latin."

Zephryos smiled, "Very good, Nico de Angelo. I'm glad to see you again, by the way. It's been a long time."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed, "I've never met you."

"You've never _seen_ me," the god corrected, "But, I've been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master's face."

Nico felt the blood drain from his face at the thought that Zephyros had been watching him and most likely reporting back to Eros. His eyes flitted around the room, looking for any sort of escape; he was starting to feel trapped under the palace.

"Nico?" Jason asked, "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know. Nothing." Denial was absolutely the best option at the moment

"Nothing?" Zephryos exclaimed, "The one you care for most…plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?"

"We've only come for Diocletian's scepter," Nico said, wanting to change subject very badly, "Where is it?"

"Ah…" Zephryos nodded sympathetically, "You thought it would be as easy as facing Diocletian's ghost? I'm afraid not, Nico. Your trials will be _much_ more difficult. You know, long before this was Diocletian's Palace, it was the gateway to my master's court. I've dwelt here for eons, bringing those who sought love into the presence of Cupid."

"Like Psyche, Cupid's wife. You carried her to this place." Jason said

Zephryos seemed happy that Jason knew so much about Eros and his escapades. But, Nico didn't care to listen to the story because he already knew it. Besides, he had other things to worry about; like a confession he didn't want to confess.

"You took the scepter." Nico heard Jason say

"For safekeeping," Zephryos agreed, "it is one of Cupid's many treasures, a reminder of better times, if you want it…" Zephryos turned to Nico, "You must face the god of love."

Nico looked out the windows, wishing he could escape through the them, anything would be better than facing the love god... "Nico," Jason said after a moment, as if in an attempt to halt Nico's flight from the palace, "you can do this. It might be embarrassing, but it's for the scepter."

Nico was not convinced. Actually, he felt as if he was going to throw up; he now knew that he really shouldn't have eaten that grape earlier, it was threatening to make a reappearance soon. But he gathered the small and fleeting amount of courage he had and nodded, "You're right. I-I'm not afraid of a love god."

Zephryos grinned, "Excellent! Would you like a snack before you go?" the god then took an unripe apple from the basket and frowned, saying something about how summer has all the fun.

"That's ok," Nico said quickly, wanting to get this over with, "Just take us to Cupid." Acquiescing, Zephryos spun the hoop on his finger, and they turned into air.

* * *

Once Zephryos made them human again, he commented on how he didn't understand how humans could stand living in their corporeal bodies. Nico, on the other hand, couldn't understand how anyone would want to be the wind, it made his mind hazy and his thoughts more disorganized than they already were at the moment.

Then Zephyros said, "Welcome to Salona, Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian! But before that, _long_ before that, it was the home of Cupid." The name echoed through the ruins creepily.

At the mention of Cupid's name, Jason looked pensive. Suddenly Zephyros said, "Oh, he's not like that."

Jason flinched, "You can read my mind?"

"I don't need to." Zephryos tossed his hoop, "_Everyone_ has the wrong impression of Cupid…until they meet him."

Nico braced himself against a column, he felt very unsteady, not looking forward to any sort of meeting with Eros. Why couldn't someone else have taken the scepter?

"Hey man…" Jason moved toward him looking worried; Nico waved him off. Nico felt so averse to the coming confrontation that the grass at his feet began to wilt, the patch of dead vegetation spreading outward from the spot he stood.

"Ah…" Zephryos nodded sympathetically, "I don't blame you for being nervous, Nico di Angelo. Do you know how _I_ ended up serving Cupid?"

"I don't serve anyone," Nico muttered, trying to concentrate on not bolting, "especially not Cupid."

Zephryos continued as if Nico hadn't spoken, "I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was _quite_ extraordinary."

"He…?" Jason questioned, not making Nico feel any better.

"Yes, Jason Grace," Zephryos raised an eyebrow, "I fell in love with a _dude_. Does that shock you?"

"I guess not." Jason said after a moment of thought, still not making Nico feel any better about the coming confrontation, "So…Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love."

Zephryos chortled, "You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don't know. But one day, I came across them together, playing a game of quoits—"

"Quoits?" Jason interrupted

"A game with those hoops," Nico explained his voice brittle, he didn't want this conversation to go on, but at the same time, he wanted to meet with Eros even less, so continuing to chat with Zephros seemed like the better course of action, "Like horseshoes."

"Sort of," Zephryos said, "at any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring at Hyacinthus's head and well…" the wind god sighed. Nico stopped listening again, his breathing turned shallow and fear coursed through his veins.

_CUPID, _the name echoed through the ruins again. "That would be my cue." Zephryos stood, Nico felt the sudden urge to go with him, being the wind would be better than facing Eros, "Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico di Angelo. You cannot lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you…well, your fate will be even sadder than mine." The wind god disappeared and the air suddenly felt oppressive. The ground shook, Jason and Nico drew their swords.

_So._ A disembodied voice said, rushing by their ears, _You come to claim the scepter. _Nico and Jason were standing back to back, but Nico wasn't feeling all that confident that they would get the scepter…

"Cupid," Jason called, "Where are you?" The voice laughed, it sounded threatening to Nico's ears.

_Where you least expect me,_ Eros answered, _as love always is._ Something slammed into Jason and he was hurled across the street, where he lay sprawled painfully on the ground.

_I would think you'd know better, Jason Grace. _Eros's voice echoed, _you've found true love after all. Or do you still doubt yourself?_

Nico hurried down the steps, extending his hand to Jason, "You ok?"

Jason accepted the hand and hauled himself to his feet, "Yeah, just sucker punched."

_Oh, did you expect me to play fair? _Eros laughed, _I am the god of love. I am_ never _fair._

The air rippled and an arrow materialized, aimed at Nico's chest. Jason deflected the arrow sideways with his sword; it exploded against a nearby wall, showering them with shrapnel. They ran up the steps and Jason pulled Nico out of the way as a gust of wind made a nearby column collapse.

"Is this guy Love or Death?" Jason growled, Nico was thinking the exact same thing.

_Ask your friends, _Eros said, _Frank, Hazel, and Percy met my counterpart, Thanatos. We are not so different. Except Death is sometimes kinder._

"We just want the scepter!" Nico yelled, trying to avoid what he knew he would have to admit with every fiber of his being, "We're trying to stop Gaea. Are you on the gods' side or not?" As an answer, a second arrow struck the ground between Nico's feet. Nico stumbled back just as the arrow erupted into flames.

_Love is on every side, _Eros said, _and no one's side. Don't ask what Love can do for you._

"Great," Jason grumbled, "now he's spouting greeting card messages." Suddenly, Jason sensed something behind them and he spun, slicing his sword through the air. His blade hit something and they heard a grunt. Jason swung again, but Eros was gone, the only trace left was a golden smear of Ichor.

_Very good Jason, _Eros said, _at least you can sense my presence. Even a glancing hit at true love is more than most heroes can manage._

"So now I get the scepter?" Jason asked hopefully

Eros laughed, _Unfortunately, you could not wield it. Only a child of the Underworld can summon the dead legions. And only an officer of Rome can lead them._

"But…" Jason said, confusion in his voice, "Just leave that to us. Nico can summon—"

A third arrow flew by faster than Jason could finish his sentence. It sunk into Nico's sword arm and he gasped in pain, barely registering Jason shouting his name.

Nico stumbled as the arrow dissolved. It left nothing visible, but Nico's heart began to ache, making his face contort with rage and pain. "Enough games!" Nico shouted, sick of this, "Show yourself!"

Nico hardly heard Eros's response as he felt some sort of floodgate crack inside of him, everything he'd long since buried surfaced suddenly and encompassed his senses. He could only, very distantly, Eros and Jason's conversation, his attention split between the real world and his memories.

Suddenly, Jason thrust his sword to the sky, thunder shook the valley and then lightning struck the spot Eros's voice came from. Silence ensued and Nico was beginning to think Jason had actually managed to defeat Eros. But then, an invisible force knocked the sun of Jupiter to the ground and his sword skidded away.

_A good try, _Eros said, his voice far away, _But Love cannot be pinned so easily. _Next to Jason, a wall collapsed and the son of Jupiter barely managed to roll away.

"Stop it!" Nico yelled, having had enough of Jason suffering because of something he couldn't admit, "It's me you want! Leave him alone!" Jason looked dazed and confused, as if he didn't have the slightest idea about what Nico was talking about

Eros, agreeing, said, _Poor Nico di Angelo._ His voice sounded disappointed, _Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you, what have you risked in my name?_

"I've been to Tartarus and back," Nico snarled, avoiding the question, "you don't scare me."

_I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest._

Nico didn't want to be honest. In response to these feelings, the ground shifted around him; all the surrounding dead were moving in the earth beneath, trying to make their way to him. "Give us Diocletian's scepter," Nico said, feeling he was losing control, "we don't have time for games."

_Games? _Eros struck and Nico was thrown sideways into something painfully hard, _Love is no game! It's not flowery softness! It is hard work, a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you, especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards._

"Nico," Jason called, Nico noticed Jason had retrieved his sword, "what does this guy _want _from you?"

_Tell him Nico di Angelo, _Eros said, _Tell him you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half Blood, and why you are always alone._

'I'm not a coward and I'm not running from anything!', the thought rang in Nico's head and a frustrated scream forced its way out of his throat. The ground underneath him ripped open and skeletons emerged, surrounding Nico, as if they were attempting to protect him from the love god.

_Will you hide among the dead as you always do? _Eros taunted

Then, waves of darkness that held all his hatred, fear, and shame began to roll off him. Every encounter he'd ever had with Percy played for the world to see. There were more than a dozen scenes of him and Percy (sometimes others too). As each one played, Nico's shame increased tenfold. He felt more than ever like he wanted to just sink into the earth and disappear. No scepter was worth this much humiliation.

As Nico's resistance grew, so did the skeletons'. Eros was fighting back, throwing skeletons off of him but Nico could tell the god was struggling and eventually the skeletons' attempts to pin Eros's arms would succeed. _Interesting! _Cupid said and Nico could feel the god's smirk, _Do you have the strength after all?_

"I left Camp Half Blood because of love," Nico said, trying for appeasement, "Annabeth…she—"

_Still hiding, _Cupid said, destroying another skeleton, _You do not have the strength._

"Nico," Jason said, "it's ok, I get it."

Nico glanced at Jason, his face awash with pain and misery, "No, you don't," his voice sounded hollow, "there's no way you can understand."

_And so you run away again, _Cupid scolded, _from your friends, from yourself._

"I don't have any friends!" Nico yelled, resentment for everything that had happened to up to this point spilling from his lips, "I left Camp Half Blood because I don't belong! I'll never belong!"

The skeletons finally managed to pin Eros, but the god's only response was laughter so cruel that Nico was left feeling even more miserable than before.

"Leave him alone Cupid," Jason growled, "This isn't…" he trailed off and Nico vaguely wondered if Jason had been about to say that this wasn't any of Eros's business; but it was, in fact Eros's business and Nico's hatred for the love god grew stronger.

But, Nico knew that to get the scepter, he would have to admit these feelings he'd hidden for so long, no matter how painful it was, no matter how much he wanted to run them, no matter how much he felt like sinking into the ground and disappearing into oblivion. With a voice like shattered glass, Nico ground out, "I-I wasn't in love with Annabeth."

"You were jealous of her." Jason said, with sympathy the Nico didn't want to hear, "That's why you didn't want to be around her. Especially why you didn't want to be around…him. It makes total sense."

Knowing that Jason _knew_, made all the fight and denial leech out of Nico, the darkness he had been giving off subsided and all the Roman dead collapsed into bones and then crumbled to dust. "I hated myself." Nico said, any energy he'd had left spent, "I hated Percy Jackson."

Eros became visible then, watching Nico with satisfaction that made Nico angrier still. Wanting this to be over with already, Nico spat, "I had a crush on Percy, that's the truth. That's the big secret."

Nico glared at Cupid, hoping for all the world that they would finally get the damn scepter, "Happy now?"

Eros's gaze turned sympathetic, "Oh, I wouldn't say Love always makes you happy." His voice was smaller, more human sounding, "Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you've _faced_ it now. That's the only way to conquer me."

Cupid dissolved into the wind and on the ground where he'd stood lay the scepter of Diocletian. Nico picked it up; glad this was finally over with.

He then looked toward Jason, waiting for an attack on what the son of Jupiter just learned. He started speaking, not planning on keeping his threat hidden this time, "If the others found out—"

"If the others found out," Jason cut him off, "you'd have that many more people to back you up, and to unleash the fury of the gods on anybody who gives you trouble."

Nico scowled, anger at admitting his feelings for Percy aloud still simmering under the surface. Jason noticed the look and added, "But it's your call, your decision to share or not. I can only tell you—"

"I don't feel that way anymore," Nico mumbled a denial that lacked conviction, "I mean…I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I-I don't…" his voice cracked and frustrated tears started prickling at the backs of his eyes, he looked away, not wanting to deal with this any longer.

This hadn't been something he wanted to admit, something he wouldn't have admitted anyone really. Even if it been Hazel who had accompanied him on this journey for the stupid scepter, he wouldn't have felt any better. The only person who could have understood was Bianca, but she was dead and no longer speaking to him and so his secret had stayed a secret. Until now that is.

"Nico," Jason interrupted Nico's thoughts, "I've seen a lot of brave things. But you just did? That was maybe the bravest."

Nico returned his gaze to Jason, not feeling very brave at all, "We should get back to the ship." It was time to leave before Eros changed his mind and came back to torture Nico some more.

"Yeah. I can fly us—" Jason started

"No," Nico hissed, "This time we're shadow-traveling. I've had enough of the winds for a while."

* * *

Once the two returned to the ship, Nico let Jason explain how they got the scepter as he retreated to the crow's nest he called his temporary residence. Nico felt drained, of course, but even worse, he felt heartsick; a dull ache that pulsed through him whenever he thought of the son of Poseidon. He sighed for the millionth time since he'd gotten back and realized how much he missed Percy.

Sure, he had been avoiding the son of Poseidon, but Nico had always had the sense that if he'd really wanted to he could see Percy whenever he wanted to; to give him the reality check that he usually needed whenever he thought something could happen between the two of them. But even that possibility had been ripped from him because Percy had decided to join _Annabeth _in Tartarus.

And there it was again, that jealousy that Nico always felt whenever he thought about Annabeth and Percy together and how it denied him so much. But, he immediately felt guilty about those feelings; Tartarus was not a place he wished on anyone, not even someone he was jealous of and especially not someone he...loved.

Even though jealousy burned once again in Nico's heart, he also felt even more conviction that he had to save Percy and Annabeth. Now that they had the scepter, it would hopefully be easier to rescue them. Then, this would all be over with and Nico could go back to avoiding Percy. Suddenly, Nico yawned widely, feeling sleep weighing heavily on his eyes yet again. He then decided that these problems would still be here tomorrow, Percy would still be in Tartarus and Nico would still miss him. Nico drifted into sleep, unafraid this time, of any dreams he might see.

**And that is the end of that. I'm feeling really tired now and I have nothing else to say. So I shall leave it at that. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated as I love to know what you guys think.**

**-****村山鶴**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, Murayama Tsuru here. I really wasn't going to write another chapter after that last one. But, Nico still wouldn't leave me alone. So I typed up the end of HoH and did much the same thing as I did last chapter. Except, I tried, not necessarily very successfully, to edit out the more unnecessary dialogue (to what I'm trying to do at least). Rick Riordan's characters talk to much... Anyway, hope you guys enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/the Heroes of Olympus; it belongs to Rick Riordan. Neither, can I say, do I own any of the dialogue; it also belongs to Rick Riordan (putting this in to cover my ass again).**_

Percy stared at the Athena Parthenos, and Nico watched Percy. There hadn't been time to earlier because escaping from a collapsing cavern had seemed much more important. It hadn't helped Nico's garbled thoughts that Percy was now back. It helped even less that when they had returned to the entrance of the House of Hades, Nico realized that he had been holding Percy's hand. He had let go of it very quickly so his imagination wouldn't go places it shouldn't and no one else would realize his feelings for the Son of Poseidon. Jason knowing was bad enough…

Now, though, as Percy watched the statue of Athena, he noticed how wan and gaunt Percy had become (Annabeth too for that matter, but Nico wasn't watching her). Nico realized that this must be what he looked like after had been busted from that bronze jar. He didn't much care about he looked, but the look did not suit Percy well at all. The son of Poseidon was supposed to look healthy, Nico mentally cursed Annabeth and the Athena Parthenos for getting Percy into the mess he'd been in.

It was as if Annabeth had read his thought because just at that moment she called out to Reyna, who had also been observing the Athena Parthenos, to come join them for their food. Reyna looked conflicted about the thought of eating with a group of Greek demigods and Roman demigods who had broken the rules. But eventually she decided that she would join them after all and sat down next to Annabeth.

"So," Reyna said after taking a bite of the sandwich she had picked up, "Frank Zhang…praetor."

Frank looked nervous, "Well, yeah. Field promotion."

"To lead a different legion," Reyna noted, "a legion of ghosts."

Hazel put her arm protectively through Frank's. Nico almost felt the need to defend his half-sister's boyfriend. He had, after all, saved them from all those monsters with the dead that Nico raised but couldn't control because he was Greek. But, before he had the chance to, the others came to Frank's defense.

Reyna studied Frank and agreed that he was a good leader. Frank looking less nervous said something about how the Romans would listen to her when she went back with the statue. But, Reyna didn't look so sure, she had broken the rules by coming here and Romans weren't so forgiving of that. Even despite Jason saying that breaking the rules was sometimes necessary, Reyna still didn't look convinced that she would be considered the leader with the Romans anymore.

Percy smiled then, that easy smile that could make anyone feel better, "Reyna, you're too modest. Flying halfway across the world by yourself to answer Annabeth's plea, because you knew it was our best chance for peace? That's pretty freaking heroic."

Reyna shrugged in response, "Says the demigod who fell into Tartarus and found his way back."

"He had help." Annabeth said. Reyna agreed and made a joke about how Percy most likely wouldn't have been able to find his way out of a paper bag without Annabeth's help. Nico hated to admit it, but he thought that Reyna was right.

Everyone laughed at the joke. Percy looked like he wanted to protest but instead he just smiled and Nico again felt his heart thump painfully and he cursed Eros once again for making Nico realize his feelings. Suddenly, Percy's smile melted and Nico wondered what the son of Poseidon was thinking about. Sadness didn't suit Percy well either.

"So, the twenty-million-peso question," Leo said after eating a chocolate-covered strawberry, "we got this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena. What do we do with it?"

Reyna looked at the statue "As fine as it looks on that hill, I didn't come all this way to admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand correctly?"

Annabeth nodded, "I had a dream down in…you know, Tartarus. I was on Half-Blood Hill, and Athena's voice said, _I must stand here. The Roman must bring me._"

"It makes sense." Nico said, he saw Percy flinch and he wondered why. Once Nico finished his half a pomegranate (he realized how ironic that was, eating the fruit of the Underworld when they had all just made it out of death, but he hadn't done it on purpose), Nico continued speaking, "The statue is a powerful symbol. A Roman returning it to the Greeks…that could heal the historic rift, maybe even heal the gods of their split personalities."

Coach Hedge swallowed his own strawberry, "Now, hold on. I like peace as much as the next satyr—"

"You _hate _peace." Leo interrupted

"The point is, Valdez, we're only—what, a few days from Athens? We got an army of giants waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving the statue—"

"I went through most of the trouble." Annabeth interjected

"—because that prophecy called it the _giants' bane_," the coach resumed as if he hadn't just been interrupted twice in a row, "so why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? It's obviously out secret weapon. It looks like a ballistic missile to me. Maybe if Valdez strapped some engines to it—"

Piper was the third one to interpose, "Uh, great idea, Coach, but a lot of us have had dreams and visions of Gaea rising at Camp Half Blood…" She took out her dagger and told them about the vision of the oncoming battle it had shown her. Reyna was clearly not happy that the Augur of Camp Jupiter had ignored her orders to stay away from Camp Half Blood until she returned.

Frank suggested that once the war was over they send Octavian as far away as they could by catapult. While this was a tempting option to everyone (even to Nico, he definitely didn't like that guy as he wasn't very…appreciative of children of Hades). But, that was something that would have to be settled later, as there were more pressing matters, like stopping Gaea from awakening.

"So Reyna takes the statue," Percy said once Piper had finished telling them about even worse visions her dagger had shown her, "and we continue on to Athens."

Leaving Reyna to return by herself with the statue has its own problems, though. Since it had taken them so long to get this far, it seemed that going back wouldn't help anything. And yet, Reyna going alone wasn't necessarily a viable option either; she probably wouldn't get back in time to stop the Romans from attacking if she went alone.

As the group was stymied for an answer, a light seemed to go off in Hazel's head, "The Labyrinth," she said, "I-I mean, if Pasiphae really has reopened it, and I think she _has_..." she looked at Percy apprehensively, "Well, you said the Labyrinth could take you anywhere—"

"No." Percy and Annabeth spoke in unison; Nico was thinking the same thing. Nico knew just as well as Percy and Hazel just how dangerous that Labyrinth was, and he would have explained that to his half-sister. But, Percy and Annabeth beat him to it. So, he sat back and watched, deciding that if Hazel asked about later he would tell her more. Eventually, Percy and Annabeth finished their explanation about why Daedalus's Labyrinth shouldn't be used to transport the Athena Parthenos and Hazel, looking deflated, agreed with them.

Reyna looked around the circle and asked, "Other ideas?"

"I could go," Frank said, though he didn't look very happy about that idea, "if I'm praetor, I _should_ go—"

"No, Frank Zhang." Reyna said tiredly, "I hope we will work side by side in the future, but for now, your place is with the crew of this ship. You are one of the seven of the prophecy."

"I'm not." Nico said, making a sudden decision. He had told Jason that he would be leaving them after all, and this seemed like the perfect chance.

Everybody stopped eating then and looked at Nico, as if they were all wondering if he was joking or not. Hazel dropped her fork, "Nico—"

"I'll go with Reyna," he said, not wanting to hear any objections, "I can transport the statue with shadow-travel."

"Uh…" Percy said skeptically, "I mean, I know you just got all eight of us to the surface, and that was awesome. But a year ago you said transporting just _yourself_ was dangerous and unpredictable. A couple of times you ended up in China. Transporting a forty-foot statue and two people halfway across the world—"

"I've changed since I've come back from Tartarus," Nico felt anger bubble up inside him. He was offended that Percy would even think that he was the same as he was a year ago. He had changed so much since then, that the fact that Percy thought he was still the naïve child he had been before hurt more than any form of scorn.

"Nico," Jason intervened, seeing that Percy had effectively stuck his foot into his mouth, "we're not questioning your power. We just want to make sure you don't kill yourself trying."

"I can do it," Nico insisted, wanting nothing more than to prove Percy wrong, "I'll make short jumps—a few hundred miles each time. It's true, after each jump I won't be in any shape to fend off monsters. I'll need Reyna to defend me and the statue."

Reyna studied the group, not letting on her own thoughts about what Nico has said, "Any objections?"

No one spoke. "Very well," she said, "I see no better option. But there will be _many_ monster attacks. I would feel better taking a third person. That's the optimal number for a quest."

"Coach Hedge," Frank burst out, surprising the group yet again. A debate over whether Coach Hedge should go with them or not started and Nico tried to let his anger toward Percy cool. It wasn't easy, though, having the person you care for most doubt that you could be of any help, Percy could be so maddening.

Nico saw Coach Hedge leave after sending some sort of unspoken message of gratitude towards Frank. This was his cue to leave as well. Nico rose, "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset." And he left as well, no longer wanting to be around Percy.

* * *

At the appointed time, while Nico was trying ropes around the Athena Parthenos in order to more easily transport it, Percy arrived. Nico did his best to ignore the son of Poseidon, after all he was still mad that Percy doubted that he could transport a giant statue, a Satyr, another demigod, and himself back to Camp Half Blood. But, he couldn't keep that up when Percy said, "Thank you."

Nico frowned, not knowing anything he deserved being thanked for, he asked, "What for?"

"You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades," Percy said, "You did it."

Nico made a halter out of the ropes. Nico wondered if Percy knew how Nico felt; if Jason had decided to spill his secret to the son of Poseidon, "You got me out of that bronze jar in Rome. Saved my life yet again. It was the least I could do." Nico said feeling defensive. Percy knowing would be much more than he could handle; Jason had been right, Nico didn't want to face rejection…

"Also," Percy said, "you visited Bob…You convinced Bob that I could be trusted, even though _I _never visited him. I never gave him a second thought. You probably saved our lives by being nice to him."

"Yeah, well," Nico said, thinking about how that Titan had reminded Nico of himself, "not giving people a second thought…that can be dangerous."

"Dude, I'm trying to say thank you." It was Percy's turn to sound defensive

Nico let out a humorless laugh, "I'm trying to say you don't need to. Now I need to finish this, if you could give me some space?" You're distracting me, Nico kept the thought to himself. He really, really wanted to get out of here, being around Percy wasn't good for him. Especially since Annabeth had made it back too (Nico once again regretted the thought almost immediately).

"Yeah. Yeah, ok." Percy backed off as Nico finished preparing the Athena Parthenos for transport.

Soon, Annabeth joined them on the hill. She took Percy's hand, which made Nico even more acutely aware of how much he resented Annabeth and Percy for being together. "Good luck," she said.

"Yeah, You, too." Nico responded. He couldn't meet Annabeth's eyes. If he did, he was sure that the girl would learn of his feelings for Percy. He was feeling vulnerable at the moment, so hiding feelings from the blond would be harder than hiding from the rather dense son of Poseidon.

A while later, Reyna and Coach Hedge arrived as well, ready for the oncoming journey. Reyna hugged Annabeth, "We will succeed."

"I know you will," Annabeth said

Coach Hedge was starting to look impatient, "Yeah, don't worry. I'm going to get to camp and see my baby! Uh, I mean I'm going to get this baby to camp!"

"Alright," Nico said, "grab the ropes, please. Here we go." Reyna and Coach Hedge did as Nico asked. As the group began disappearing into the shadows, Nico took one last look at Percy. This was probably the last time he would see him before this war was over. He hoped that the son of Poseidon wouldn't fail.

As the darkness swallowed him, Nico sighed, it was time for him to let go of these feelings. It was time to focus on bringing the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half Blood safely so at least one war would be averted. But, if there was a time when he couldn't go on, he knew if he just thought of Percy he'd find the strength to keep moving. He would have to, if he wanted the infuriating son of Poseidon to realize he wasn't a child any longer.

**And that is the end of that. I really mean it this time ^_^ I think Nico will now leave me alone... hopefully. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated as I love to know what you guys think.**

**-****村山鶴**


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